Category Archives: Things That Make Me Insane

Post navigation

HOW DUMB ARE YOU, BUDWEISER? Did no one in your marketing department raise this issue? Did no one think this might possiblybe offensive in some (if not all) circumstances? Did no one care that there could be backlash? Did no one factor in the cost of recalling all of those beer bottles? The idiot of the week award goes to ….

Perhaps the Clydesdales could have done better.

At any rate, thank heavens for John Oliver, a voice of reason in this sea of utter madness.

HLN announced that they were abandoning their programming to become a social media focused network. And some of their shows will make you weep for journalism. I Can Haz NewsToons will serve up animated satire of current events, One.Click.Away will scour online classified for big buys, while Keywords is a game about searching and tagging trivia from the online world. Can somebody check and see if Ted Turner’s head exploded?

So, do you want to know what stupid looks like? Here it is. This is obviously some 50-year-old’s idea of how to attract 20-something social media users to engage with TV. Speaking as a 50-year-old (almost) IT’S THE DUMBEST IDEA EVER IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS THAT’S NOT STARTING A WAR!!

Why? Why are corporations so stupid? Do you really want to engage young people? Turn your damn cable channel back into a NEWS CHANNEL and then — here’s a shocker — broadcast the news!

This is why marketers have such a bad wrap. It’s because IDIOTS are so common in this industry. I can’t imagine anything more crass than trying to use the legacy of a slain civil rights leader to flack your product. It’s wrong on at least a hundred different levels.

1. Who in the hell writes this shit? And who in the hell edits it?
I say that mainly because of the headline above in the Huffington Post. “Gay Marriage License?” Are you for real? First of all, there is no such thing. Second of all, see “First of all.”

2. Journalism 101 Fail
Read the HuffPo article. Then ask the following questions that any decent cub journo should know to ask: Where did you apply since Pennsylvania is not an equality state? If it was in Pennsylvania, where you trying to make a political statement? Did you understand the reach of your employment contract before this event? Did you speak with your supervisors before your decided to apply for a marriage license?

For the record, it’s not just the HuffPo; the local news piece where this story originated (I guess) does not answer them either.

3. Dig a Bit
I did find my answers. In a story from UPI, of all places. UPI, the Unification Church-owned wire service which, to the best of my knowledge, is no longer held up as a standard of excellence.

They went to New Jersey for the license. And no, they didn’t seek out the school’s approval prior to getting the license which, while meaningful for the couple, won’t amount to a hill of beans in Pennsylvania.

4. Thoughts In General
Mr. Griffin, you may be a beloved teacher, but you’re a dumb ass. How naive are you to assume that a Roman Catholic Church school would embrace your same-sex marriage with open arms? Even in the interviews, you mention your employment handbook which states that behavior antithetical to Church teachings is ground for termination.

Look, I think the actions of this school — and this religious denomination for that matter — are vile and cruel and evil and ridiculous. There’s no denying that. But, sir, you knew you were dancing with the devil. You knew what Church policy was/is. You knew what the terms of your employment were. You knew those terms for the entire 12 years you were employed there. You brought this on yourself.

As someone who also lives in a state, like you do, without provisions from preventing termination for sexual orientation, I feel for you. And your partner. I really and truly do, but you knew better. And if you didn’t, well shame on you for not doing your due diligence. Until there is 100% equality for LGBT persons, that’s just a requirement for us all. You have to. Or you have to suffer the consequences.

If you want to change this for others, don’t roll over. Stand up. Be counted. Make change happen. But, if you are going to cry to the local TV and be upset that you were wronged, I don’t have any use for it. Nor do I have any use for simplistic reporting done by middle school interns.

On the other hand, if you are going to stand up and fight this, well, I’m with you 100%.

The uproar over Miley Cyrus’ MTV Video Music Awards performance just won’t stop. Its newest iteration comes in the form of more than 150 complaints to the Federal Communications Commission from concerned citizens across the country who want MTV or Cyrus herself punished for indecency.